Ben Shephard is a journalist and TV personality who currently co-presents ITV’s This Morning (2024–present). Recently, rumors were circulating that he was joining another ITV series, I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, as a judge. Shepard has spoken on the subject, dispelling the rumors.
What did Ben Shephard say about joining I’m A Celebrity?
The rumors started after Shephard disclosed that he would not appear on This Morning for a couple of weeks because of his commitment to another project.
“I have some news to share,” Shephard said on the November 8 episode. “I’m taking a couple of weeks away to go and work on this exciting project for ITV. It’s top secret. I’m going to the other side of the world now after the show. I can’t say where it is though,” he added. (via Manchester Evening News)
This prompted Shephard’s co-host Cat Deeley to ask if he “was going to be eating witchetty grubs” and see her “two mates.” This is a reference to I’m a Celebrity (the filming for the British series takes place in the Australian jungle) and its hosts Declan Donnelly and Ant McPartlin. Responding to Deeley’s query, Shepard promised that he would reveal where he was on the Monday, November 11 episode.
In Friday’s episode, Shephard told Deeley and co-host Alison Hammond that he was in New Zealand for a different ITV project, a reality competition series titled The Summit. “I’m not in the jungle! I’ve gone a bit further south, I’m in New Zealand,” he said. “We are hosting this brand new show for ITV, which is called The Summit,” he further stated.
The former Good Morning Britain co-host continued, “I’m going to be guiding them up there, I’m going to be checking in with them at nights and talking them through what stages of the challenges they’re in. Hopefully, I’ll be there when some of them reach the summit. They’re carrying the winnings with them all the way up so what makes it up there is shared with those who actually get there too.”
Notably, The Summit will debut on ITV1, ITVX, and other platforms sometime in 2025. Shephard will serve as the host, helping the 14 contestants in their quest for a share of the £200,000 prize.